1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for detecting, diagnosing and rectifying performance issues associated with the use of voice-enabled cable modems.
2. Background
Cable modems are currently available that can be used by cable operators to provide Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) telephone service to customers. As a result, many people who have cable modems have opted to eliminate their Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) in favor of VoIP telephone service delivered over cable.
Many cable operators offer VoIP telephone service based on Packet Cable™ specifications. PacketCable™ refers to an initiative led by Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs®) to develop interoperable interface specifications for delivering advanced, real-time multimedia services over cable. A PacketCable™-compliant system enables cable operators to offer both high-speed Internet and VoIP services through a single piece of customer premises equipment, known as an Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter (EMTA). An EMTA is essentially a cable modem and a VoIP adapter (referred to as a Multimedia Terminal Adapter) bundled into a single device. Services based on Packet Cable™ provide a significant advantage over third-party services in that voice packets are given guaranteed Quality of Service (QOS) across their entire path so that call quality can be assured.
A typical EMTA has one or two RJ-11 telephone ports for either a direct phone connection or to provide voice connectivity through wall jacks in a home or office. In some customer installations, a faulty telephone may be connected to the EMTA via these ports. Also, in some installations, the wiring used to connect a telephone to the EMTA via these ports may be faulty. In such installations, the faulty telephone and/or wiring may cause the EMTA to enter a “chattering line” state in which it reports spurious events to a Call Management System (CMS) via the cable data network. For example, the faulty telephone and/or wiring may cause the EMTA to report repetitive on/off hook and flash events. This will have the undesired effect of increasing Network-Based Called Signaling (NCS) traffic towards the CMS. Furthermore, when pulse dialing is enabled, the faulty telephone and/or wiring may cause the EMTA to erroneously report dialed digits to the CMS in a manner that results in the placement of a telephone call. This may result in a variety of serious problems, including the placement of false 911 calls and the charging of a customer for unused long distance services.
In view of the foregoing, it would be beneficial if a system and method were available that allowed a system operator to remotely detect and diagnose an EMTA that has entered a chattering line state so that appropriate steps may be taken to avoid or rectify any of the problems that may result from this condition.